House committee to investigate White House security clearances

The investigation seeks information related to the security clearances of national security adviser John Bolton (L) and White House adviser Jared Kushner. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will investigate how White House workers obtain security clearances, its chairman said Wednesday.

Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummingswrote in a letter to White House counsel Pat Cipollone requesting a range of documents connected to the security clearances of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, his son Michael Flynn Jr., and White House adviser Jared Kushner.

Kushner had his interim security clearance stripped a year ago. It was restored in May.

"The goals of this investigation are to determine why the White House and transition team appear to have disregarded established procedures for safeguarding classified information, evaluate the extent to which the nation's most highly guarded secrets were provided to officials who should not have access to them, and develop reforms to remedy the flaws in the current White House systems and practices," Cummings wrote in the letter.

The panel will also wants information about Flynn's former deputy K.T. McFarland, current national security adviser John Bolton, former White House staff secretary Robert Porter, former National Security Council senior director Robin Townley, former Trump personal assistant John McEntee and former deputy assistant to Trump Sebastian Gorka.

"Last year, Gen. John Kelly, President Trump's Chief of Staff at the time, conceded that there are major 'shortcomings' with the White House's security clearance process," Cummings noted. "He warned that the White House 'should -- and in the future, must -- do better,' and he stated that 'now is the time to take a hard look at the way the White House processes clearance requests.'
I agree."

Cummings also said the White House violated the SECRET Act, which mandates the White House report to Congress by last August on its procedures for adjudicating security clearances.

The committee chair told CBS News recently he planned to use the panel's subpoena power to get documents about the administration, a request he said was denied when the House was in Republican control.